About the Durham Police Department
The Durham Police Department serves a city
of approximately 204,000 with 500 sworn police officers and 113 civilian employees.
The Durham Police Department is organized into five bureaus: Office of the Chief of Police; Investigative Services
Bureau; Community Services Bureau; Administrative Services Bureau; and, the Uniform Patrol Bureau.
The State of North Carolina requires 16
weeks of training, but the Durham Police Academy is 23 weeks long and teaches more than what the state mandates. The academy
is held at Durham Technical Community College's North Durham Campus on Snowhill Road. The classes include pursuit driving,
defensive tactics, firearms, and North Carolina law. The recruits learn intensive survival Spanish, undergo diversity training,
and learn about hazardous materials, domestic violence, sexual assault, community policing, sexual harassment, and many other
topics.
One of the premier programs conducted by
the Durham Police Department is Project Safe Neighborhoods. According to the
Durham Police Department, “Project Safe Neighborhoods is Durham’s comprehensive, strategic response to the gun
violence in our community. PSN focuses on partnering federal, state, and local law enforcement with local community and faith-based
organizations to develop research-supported strategies to reduce violent crime. Law enforcement targets violent repeat offenders
to remove them from our neighborhoods, while community partners develop viable resources for those offenders who are committed
to changing their past involvement in crime and gun violence. Together, law enforcement and the community work to change the
norms that make gun violence acceptable through targeted outreach efforts and public awareness campaigns.”
Source
durhampolice.com
